Sonoma County business advocacy group CEO leaves for full-time consulting work

Daniel Sohn, named president and CEO of the Sonoma County Alliance in February, has remaining the corporation.

“Daniel determined to do his consulting perform whole time, which features consulting for the Antioch Chamber of Commerce,” mentioned Kimberly Waite, president of the Santa Rosa-dependent Sonoma County Alliance. “We are actively hunting for a new CEO of the Alliance.”

Sohn instructed the North Bay Business enterprise Journal that when he acknowledged the position at the business enterprise advocacy group, his consulting perform as running partner of The Floridian Team, LLC, was element time. Sohn and his spouse relocated previously this 12 months from Florida to California to support develop the firm’s West Coastline presence.

The Floridian Group’s providers involve federal government relations, advocacy and community affairs.

“We have numerous new customers in the Bay Space, such as in the North Bay,” mentioned Sohn, who resides in Sonoma. “That’s why we moved to California in the 1st position.”

Before this thirty day period, the Floridian Team, doing small business as Pacific Companions, retained a lot more California clients, just one staying the Antioch Chamber of Commerce, Sohn said. The chamber in the East Bay, he mentioned, has been struggling and in May perhaps, employed the Floridian Team on a whole-time deal basis to help with its reorganization. As part of the deal, Sohn reported he was offered the title of president and CEO.

Sohn mentioned his departure from the Sonoma County Alliance was not linked to the May well 2020 controversy that surrounded the civic group when Doug Hilberman, who was president of the firm at the time, wrote a public letter stating, “ALL life subject,” broadly considered as disparaging to the Black Life Matter movement.

A number of businesses still left the Alliance shortly afterwards, like the North Bay Business enterprise Journal and The Push Democrat.

“They have labored very hard about the final two yrs as a DEI advocate,” Sohn said. “I do think the foreseeable future of the Alliance is audio, unquestionably not because of something I did. … I wouldn’t have joined in the starting if I did not feel it was reliable.”

Whilst the lookup for a new CEO continues, Waite said the board and committee chair are functioning the Alliance, with support from Brian Ling, who formerly served as its executive director.